Pinch fusion reactor

Pinch fusion reactors are nuclear fusion reactors that serve as the primary source of power on board Covenant warships. They are much more advanced than the UNSC's fusion power plants, and use deuterium-tritium fusion. The process generates plasma that is compressed and heated by pinched magnetic fields.[1] If their cooling systems become disabled or their maximum heat loads are exceeded, they can often fail explosively.[2]

In order to obtain fuel for their pinch fusion reactors, the Covenant operate various groundside facilities on worlds rich in tritium and deuterium, including hydro-processing centers[3] and massive refineries such as that on Pegasi Delta.[4]